Morning Flight – 23 August 2014

The winds had a variable intensity and a few migrants appeared for Morning Flight. Most of the birds in today's modest totals came through in little spurts of activity. Lone Worm-eating and Chestnut-sided Warblers kept me on my toes. Also, like the late-summer harvest of New Jersey produce, there were a whole bunch of Barn Swallows (450-ish). A Brown Pelican hoofing it high and to the south was a welcome sight. That makes me want to go seawatching!Today and tomorrow are good days to find out what these northeast winds are bringing in from the Atlantic Ocean.

       Weather and time: partly cloudy; 66–72ºF; E at 8 mph for hour 1; NE at 2 mph for hour 2; ENE at 15 mph for hour 3; 50% cloud cover; excellent visibility; 0620 sunrise; 3.25 hours.
   
       Morning Flight Count totals: 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)  8
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  114
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)  1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  1
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  19
Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum)  1
Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)  9
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  1
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)  22
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  6
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica)  1
Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor)  1
warbler sp. (Parulinae sp.)  3
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)  5
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  2
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  41
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  2
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)  2

Today's full list can be viewed at: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19551599

Bank Swallow in wing molt

Thanks to this morning's company of Tom B. and Bill from Philly I wasn't feeling like a solitary sandpiper. This Solitary Sandpiper was feeling like that though. (Photos by: Glen Davis)